Woodlands Eatery.

I’m probably the last person to care about how a restaurant looks. I’d rather eat great Asian noodles bought from a dodgy cart on the side of the street than average noodles (which are street food anyway) served with ornately painted chopsticks in an expansive restaurant. That said, when you get great food in a beautiful space, it’s hard to beat. Emily Moon outside Plett is very close to one of those places. Sadly the food just falls short of the drool-worthy surroundings and annoyingly perfect African chic restaurant design.

This isn’t the case at Woodlands Eatery in Vredehoek, where the food is as delicious as the design is beautiful.

The chef turns out what could be called haute comfort cuisine, tasty favourites but done better than the norm. The menu changes but offers goods from their wood-fired pizza oven as well as items like the classic burger, grilled linefish and fishcakes. Except the fishcake might be made with fresh tuna, hence what I mean by ‘better than the norm.’ There’s also cocktails, Darling Brew on tap and the wine list is small but with the right choices, and reasonably priced. Oh, and a very cool cast concrete bar. The kind you can imagine drinking a lot at, though be warned: these are the highest bar stools in Cape Town, so don’t fall off.

Then there’s the design of the place. “Gorgeous,” and that’s said in the softest De Waterkant accent you can imagine with your pinky raised while you sip your Pimm’s. The new owners completely stripped the place (previously Yum Restaurant) and reinvented it. A mix of green and blue tones, concrete floors, unevenly hung lampshades, quirky art resides with 80′s restored retro furniture, or what looks like retro but I suspect was all made new from scratch. Even the soundtrack is pretty here. Expect the attractive young Cape Town interior design crowd to flock here in droves.

Overall, the restaurant is done in a style that makes you feel instantly comfortable, matches the unpretentious food and suggests you do more than just grab a bite here. Rather have lunch then laze the afternoon away on the couch outside.

I predict Sunday lunch tables to be booked out on a weekly basis pretty soon.

Oh, ironically, the owner/chef used to be the chef at Emily Moon. Seems he’s got it 100% right this time, a bonus for us Capetonians.

–

Woodlands Eatery, Vredehoek (just above Deer Park). 021 801 5799.